Kings will make Sim Bhullar first NBA player of Indian descent
The Kings will sign center Sim Bhullar to a 10-day contract Thursday, making the rookie the first player of Indian descent on an NBA regular-season roster.
Bhullar, 22, is expected to be on the roster for Friday’s game against New Orleans at Sleep Train Arena.
Bhullar, 7-foot-5 and 350 pounds, played for the Kings’ summer league team in Las Vegas and was on the training camp roster. He has played 39 games this season for the Reno Bighorns, the Kings’ NBA Development League, averaging 10.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 blocks in 25.8 minutes. He played 38 minutes and had 19 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks in 38 minutes in Tuesday’s 131-105 win over Bakersfield.
Bhullar, raised in Toronto by Indian-born parents, played on an elite AAU team with NBA players Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett before enrolling at Huntington Prep in Wes Virginia. After walking on, he played two seasons for New Mexico State and helped lead the Aggies to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
Kings principal owner Vivek Ranadive, the NBA’s first Indian-born owner, plans to expand the Kings’ and the NBA’s presence in his native country.
Bhullar will replace David Wear on the roster. Wear’s 10-day deal expires Thursday.
Follow The Bee’s Jason Jones on Twitter @mr_jasonjones and read more about the team at www.sacbee.com/kings.
This story was originally published April 1, 2015 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Kings will make Sim Bhullar first NBA player of Indian descent."